A Tree and a Tantrum
by Luithia Clen
Summary: How did a reluctant servant and his young master ever become friends? And what does a giant ash tree have to do with any of this? Friendship fic. Guy-centric. Do enjoy!
1. At a Standstill

Luithia: My titles are still la~me. OH, WELL! First ToA story! Um...yeah, haven't done a friendship fanfic in a while. Some spoilers if you haven't learned about Guy's past, I guess. On to the story! Er- wait. Luke, if you would?

Luke: Luithia Clen does not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its contents. Especially the characters. That would just be creepy.

Luithia: .... Like I said, on to the story.

* * *

He didn't understand it at first. What all the commotion was about, that is. He couldn't figure out why all the servants in the manor were dashing around so frantically. As servants went, Guy wasn't exactly high in the ranking, so no one bothered letting him know about the current events. However, it wasn't too hard to figure out that everyone was headed toward the west garden. Avoiding the crowds, specifically the maids, Guy made his way outdoors. When he arrived there, there was a large mob of maids, butlers, gardeners, and countless other workers clustered under the tall ash tree by the side of the house. It seemed like every person in the manor was there.

Scanning over the excited crowd, Guy noticed Pere standing a little ways away, staring up at something through the branches. At least there was one person around here who wouldn't keep secrets from him.

"Pere, what's going on?" asked the swordsman, trotting up to his friend.

"It's Master Luke," replied the elderly gardener, not tearing his eyes away from the tree, "It seems something the doctor said upset him."

Ah, Luke. That explains it. It had only been two months since the boy's kidnapping and severe memory loss, but he had come a long way. He had gone from barely being able to walk on his own to being able to climb furniture and trees with amazing agility. Learning to speak again, however, was a different story entirely. Luke showed little to no interest in learning how to communicate verbally, and seemed perfectly fine with remaining silent. Consequentially, no one ever had any idea what he was thinking.

Guy moved closer to the edge of the crowd and peered up through the branches. Sure enough, he could glimpse pieces of the ten-year-old's white outfit, as well as a splash of red hair. The boy was pretty high up, seated on one of the top branches and seemingly ignoring the commotion below him. Guy couldn't help admiring how high he'd managed to get. Many of the servants below were calling up to him at this point, trying to persuade him to descend.

"How come nobody's tried to climb up and get him?" Guy asked Pere.

"No one is light enough to climb up without shaking the tree, which would endanger Master Luke's safely, of course."

Guy was about to say something in return when a commanding voice boomed across the garden, "What's going on here?!"

Duke Fabre, master of the household, was standing near the door to the manor with his arms crossed. He was wearing a very expensive-looking royal gown, which reminded Guy that he had planned for an audience with the king today. Obviously, that was being delayed.

"Would someone care to tell me why half the people in my household are not at their posts?" he asked quietly, as if trying to disguise his fury.

One of the butlers walked up to him shamefully and explained the situation. Duke Fabre's expression did not change, except for becoming slightly more irritated. He walked up to the base of the tree, the crowd parting before him.

"Luke!" he barked, "Come down here this instant!" The figure in the tree made no response.

"Luke, did you hear me?!" Still no acknowledgment. The Duke fumed silently for a moment. Then he turned on his heel and began leaving.

"Sir?" the same butler from earlier questioned.

"We will just have to wait for him to come down on his own. He'll get hungry eventually," said the Duke. _My, what a _caring_ father,_ thought Guy bitterly, but his face remained stoic.

Then the second thing that Guy didn't understand happened that day. He, Guy Cecil, stepped forward in front of that large crowd and said, "Master Fabre, I can stay here until Master Luke comes down. That way everyone else can get back to their normal jobs."

The Duke turned and looked at him, as if scanning him for some hidden intention, but gave in. "Very well. Everyone, continue with your regular duties until I return," he ordered before finally leaving.

The servants muttered to one another about the order and the young master, but began leaving one by one until only Guy and Pere were still standing in the garden. Pere gave the swordsman a questioning look, but said nothing and returned to his gardening. Guy couldn't really blame him. He himself wasn't sure why he'd volunteered.

Guy had never been particularly fond of the Duke's son. He hadn't held anything against him really, except maybe the fact that, before the kidnapping, he had been so eager to please his father. It was almost annoying. The old Luke would never have ignored his father's orders like that.

Shrugging off his inner musings, Guy focused on the task at hand. He peered up through the branches again, searching for that little splash of red. Luke hadn't moved and, as far as he could tell, was staring up at the sky, completely ignoring anything that might be going on below. The empty garden was actually quite pleasant, Pere being barely noticeable as he worked.

"Hey!" called up Guy, "You can come down now if you want! The peanut gallery's gone!" Nothing but the cold shoulder once again. Guy sighed and put his hands on his hips. So it seems this would be a test of endurance. Well, he for one wasn't going to lose. Guy walked over and sat down, leaning back against the sun-baked bricks of the manor where he could clearly see Luke through the leaves.

With an air of boredom and indifference, Guy reached into his pocket and tugged out a roll of wax paper. He carefully unwrapped it, revealing three strips of dried meat. He nonchalantly picked one up and began chewing on it. He munched on them, taking the liberty of making smacking noises and the occasional "mmm".

When he was finished, he glanced up into the tree, only to be met with a pair of defiant emerald eyes. Luke was glaring down at him as if to say "You think _that_ will get me down?" The corners of Guy's mouth nearly betrayed a smile at the child's stubbornness. Instead, he just shifted his position, placing his hands behind his head, and called to Pere on the other side of the garden.

* * *

Luithia: Holy crap, it's not a one-shot! Although it still won't be very long, but hey. Yeah, lame ending for a chapter, I know. The next one'll be more interesting, really! And I realize I kind of made Duke Fabre a douche, but, uh, it's from Guy's point of view, so that's okay.

Luke: Reviews are always welcome! *smiles*

Luithia: o//o ...You and your stupid good looks...


	2. Confusion and Conflict

Luithia: Wow. No reviews. At all. That's kind of depressing.

Jade: Considering it's only been up for a few days.

Luithia:...Quiet. Oh, well. Some people seem to like it, so here's the next part!

* * *

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes and neither party showed any sign of exhaustion. Of course, they _were_ just sitting there, but Guy had long since regretted choosing a hard brick wall as his seat backing, and he was sure Luke couldn't have been too comfortable up in those branches. What was keeping Pere, anyway?

As if on cue, the old gardener came out into the yard carrying with him a cardboard box. He walked over to where Guy was seated.

"Is this what you wanted?" asked Pere.

"Yeah, thanks," replied Guy, taking the box from him. He carefully placed it on his lap and removed the lid. He didn't need to look up to know that Luke was watching him. After a suspenseful pause, Guy reached into the box and lifted out what appeared to be a small fontech contraption. It was flat, with countless wires and switches running all over it, connecting six colored light bulbs on the top. It was actually a sort of puzzle game Guy had finished recently. The aim was to position the switches so that all six bulbs were blinking simultaneously. A little amateurish, but Guy thought it was a clever idea.

He balanced the contraption on his knee and began playing with it. Of course, being its creator, he knew how to win, but now wasn't the time to show off. He would flip a few switches, then pause, looking befuddled, then flip a few more. He had done this for a good four to five minutes and was about to stop when he heard a soft rustling above him. He looked up to find Luke only three branches from the base of the tree and in the process of lowering himself to the next one. Then Luke saw Guy, paled, and began scrambling back up.

"Hey", said Guy, stopping him, "you can try it if you want." Luke twisted his head around, watching him warily without moving up or down.

"Only if you want to," said Guy, shrugging and continuing to fiddle with the puzzle.

He had barely looked away when the red-headed boy dropped down in front of him, nearly giving him a heart attack. Luke sat in a crouching position, staring at the game cautiously. His mouth was pulled into a small, but distinctly curved frown and his eyebrows were bunched together, forming an immature crease above his eyes which darted between Guy's face and the contraption. Altogether, this formed a rather adorable pouting expression on the child's face, causing Guy to smile openly as he held out the game.

Luke's face softened and changed to a look of slight surprise at the sincerity of Guy's offer, and he took the item. He grinned in anticipation and sat down cross-legged, placing it on his lap. Guy watched him quietly from his place by the wall, noting the changes in his expression: a grin of satisfaction when a new bulb lit up and a pout of disappointment when one went out. Guy chuckled softly to himself and leaned back, his gaze scanning the yard.

They were alone, him and Luke. Even Pere had left. No one knew that Luke had finally come down, or that he had been the one to convince him. _Alone_. The silence was only broken by the clicking of Luke's progress and the rustle of the leaves above them. Guy unconsciously reached for the sword at his waist.

That's right. His entire purpose for entering the Fabre household, and his true intention from the beginning, was revenge. Revenge against the Duke who had so mercilessly slaughtered his entire family. The Duke whose son he had sworn to kill. It didn't matter if he was caught afterwards and thrown in jail or executed or worse, he would have completed his vengeance. He had sworn on his sister's grave to do this and yet…

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a large object nearly being shoved into his face. It was the puzzle game, with all six bulbs on the top blinking in unison. Guy turned his head to see Luke, whose face was beaming so much, it could have been mistaken for a sixth fonon spell. He seemed to be waiting for some sort of response.

"Oh!" Guy finally realized. "Um, good job!" he told the red-haired boy, forcing a smile. Luke's grin widened (if that was possible) and even his eyes seemed to shine. He sat back down, looking thoroughly satisfied with himself.

The young blond man's eyes began to sting and threatened to well up, so he turned away from Luke and stared at the brick wall. _I'm sorry, Mary, but I can't_. This boy wasn't just the Duke's son, he was Luke. He was a kid just trying to rediscover himself and piece together his life after having it torn asunder. _Just like me_. No, Luke had nothing to do with his father's crimes. Guy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, recomposing himself.

Something tugged on his sleeve and he looked up. Luke was sitting next to him, staring at him intently with a look of confusion. Or was it concern? _Where does this kid keep getting all these cute expressions from?_ Guy found himself wondering.

"Ah, sorry," apologized Guy as he attempted to smile again, "Did you need something?"

Luke frowned, as if not completely convinced, but pointed to the sheath at the swordsman's waist.

"Oh, you want this?" asked Guy, patting the hilt of his sword. The young red-head nodded eagerly.

"Sorry," said the fourteen-year-old, waggling a finger, "No can do. It's way too dangerous. Grown-ups only." Luke's face changed to an all-too-familiar pout, and Guy could almost hear him retorting, "You're a kid, too!"

"Sorry… Wha- Hey! Hey, watch it!" he exclaimed as Luke made a grab at the sword. Guy caught his wrist, and he shoved at Guy's face. Then Guy grabbed the back of his collar, he tried to knee Guy in the stomach, and so on and so forth. The small tussle soon grew into an all-out wrestling match, which then turned into a one-sided tickling match. By the time Pere had returned, Luke was on the ground, shaking with laughter and pinned by the older boy.

"You two seem to be having fun," said the gardener as he walked over to them.

"Oh, Pere, you're back," gasped Guy in-between breaths, "Um, we were just…" Pere held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't worry about it. Well, then," he continued, turning his gaze to Luke, "I suppose I should let the others know that Master Luke had descended, yes?"

"I guess so," said Guy, quietly, "Oh, and Pere?"

"Hm?"

"Could you suggest that the commandant start teaching Luke swordplay again?" The red-haired boy, recovering from their bout, stared at him in surprise.

Pere held his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose I could bring it up. Would you like that, Master Luke?"

Luke scrambled to his feet, nodding eagerly. As Pere led him back into the manor, Luke took a last glance back at Guy with an unreadable expression on his face.

* * *

Luithia: *sighs* Mute Luke is so cute. Though he's kind of hard to write for.

Luke: *blush*Sh-shut up!

Luithia: One piece left, folks!

...

And reviews make me a happy little authoress, yes?


	3. Mutual Acceptence

Luithia: Ta-daa! Here's the last part for those of you who waited! Much thanks to native chicklet and Ranchdressing for the feedback. I'm glad you've enjoyed it.

* * *

"Master Luke, please wait!"

Guy looked up from the newly delivered plants he was helping Pere with. _What was it _this _time?_ he wondered. On cue, the young boy dashed into the main hall, long red hair streaming behind him. He made a sharp right turn and began heading towards the two of them. Guy expected him to pass them and head for the other doorway, but to his surprise, Luke grabbed his jacket and hid behind him, like a child clinging to its parent.

"Luke," breathed Guy, at a loss about what to do.

"That's 'Master Luke', Guy," Pere corrected as Luke's current doctor skidded into the room.

"We…haven't finished…your tests," gasped the doctor, clearly not used to chasing young nobles around large manors.

Guy felt a tugging at his shirt and glanced down. Luke was looking up at him intently, trying to convey some sort of message.

"Um, Sir?" Guy addressed the doctor, not entirely certain how to do this. "Ah, perhaps you and the, ah, young master could stop for today and finish up tomorrow," he suggested hopefully. The doctor looked at him, still gasping from the chase, but agreed. He seemed to be happy with any excuse not to have to deal with the Duke's son anymore.

When the doctor had left, Pere looked at Guy with a knowing smile. "It looks like someone has an admirer."

Guy looked at him skeptically, then heard footsteps on the hard marble behind him. He whirled around to see Luke almost at the other doorway. The boy stopped, then turned around, a huge grin evident on his face.

"Thanks, Guy!"

* * *

Luithia: Sorry it's so short, but that's where I wanted it to end. Hope you've all enjoyed it!

Luke: ...

Luithia: What's up?

Luke: *grumble* I only had one line...in the whole thing.

Luithia: Well, duh. But you were kinda cuter that way. Right, Tear?

Tear: *blush* Huh? Oh, um, yes. *happy-cute-mode*

Luithia: Point proven. Reviews will still be much appreciated.

All: Thanks for reading!


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